


Clouds and Silverlinings

by fifty_fifty



Series: Camelot Drabble Word Limit Month [7]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Artist Merlin, Bottom Arthur, Boys Kissing, Class Differences, Dirty Talk, First Meetings, Homophobia, Kissing, M/M, Morning Sex, Rimming, Sharing a Bed, Surprise Kissing, Top Merlin, Victorian, artist!Merlin, high society - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:50:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12181461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fifty_fifty/pseuds/fifty_fifty
Summary: Arthur Pendragon is tired of the whims and gossip of society and decides to opt for a quieter life, stepping away from London's high society. He attends one last ball at his friend the Earl of Orkney's home, where he meets an intriguing young man.





	1. Chapter 1

Arthur Pendragon would be considered lucky by most others, graced with good-looks, a well-to-do family and enough wealth to never do a true days work; he was the envy of many in London high society. It was true, just last year he had been jilted by the Lady Guinevere Leodegrance, a huge scandal by any standards, she had left him for a lowly French writer by the name of Lancelot du Lac, which had made it the scandal of the season. But he was still considered fortunate by many for his privileged life.

Arthur however, had had enough of high society. He had grown tired and bored of people’s sympathetic looks and the simpering girls who vied for his attention at any event he attended. He was listless and drifted like a rudderless ship. He no longer wished to frequent social events and given Morgana’s tendency to cause scandal when she was forced to attend events, he knew father would not force him to go to this season’s endless parade of balls and dances. He would go to one last ball held by the Earl of Orkney; as both Father and Gwaine, would give him no end of grief if he missed it. His father felt it was of utmost importance that they associate themselves as much as possible with nobility in order to make a good match.

He dressed spiritlessly, but reminded himself that if this was to be his last outing of the rest of the season and he at least ought to look his best for it. He may be fed up of society, but that did not mean he lacked pride in his appearance. He was a Pendragon after all. He slipped on his shirt and his valet, George, fastened his collar and cuff-links. They were simply decorated with the Pendragon family crest. Anything else would be far too ostentatious and ill-bred. George then tied his white neck-tie and helped him slip on his waistcoat and then buttoned his gloves; all in a silence that Arthur was rather thankful for. He felt awkward knowing that soon he would be likely to no longer require his services, leaving George to search for a new master to serve.

Making sure his shoes were well-polished, George knelt and put them on him before rushing to get his mourning coat. He glanced Arthur up and down.

“Spotless and impeccable, Sir,” he said proudly, passing him his hat. “Shall I ready the carriage?”

“Yes,” Arthur replied. “That would be splendid. And George -?”

George poked his head around the door and stood at the entrance of the room. “Yes, Sir?”

“Take the rest of the night off. Heavens knows when I’ll return from a party hosted by the Earl. I can ready myself for bed.”

George nodded. “Yes, Sir. Indeed, Sir.”

***

Arthur sighed into his glass. It could be worse, he supposed. At least this wasn’t a dinner party. But he had been inundated with requests from young ladies to dance all night long, his dance card had been full and frankly, he was fed up of it. Eventually he feigned a sprained ankle to avoid any more dancing. There was only so many time you could dance the Viennese Waltz or the German Polka before one tired of it. It was not that the young ladies weren’t nice or well-bred, it was that well... quite frankly, that ladies did not really seem to do a thing for him.

He heard Gwaine talking about them as if they were the most wondrous thing, even being so vulgar as to describe some of the more sordid details of how soft, yet full, their breasts were and how velvety, warm and wet they felt inside if you were able to get a lady who was up for a bit of fun and would allow you to put your fingers inside her. It simply did not interest him. In fact a part of him shuddered at the thought. He would rather simply deal with his morning (and sometimes evening) problems with his hand rather than getting married.

When he thought it safe to do so, he slipped out of the ballroom and made his way to one of the rarely used drawing rooms in the old house. He sighed with relief as he closed the door and the noise of the ball quietened behind him. He startled when he spotted a young man with dark hair looking at a book in the armchair nearest the fire.

“Oh. I’m so sorry,” he apologised. “I did not realise this room was occupied. Please, excuse me for the interruption.” He turned and went to open the door but paused halfway through turning the knob.

“No, no. Please,” said the man. “You’re not interrupting. It is I who should be sorry. I didn't mean to disturb any guests.”

He gathered the book together with some charcoal and other materials. He was an artist, Arthur realised and Arthur winced as he put them in the pocket of his jacket. Though perhaps that might improve the ensemble somewhat, he thought rather cruelly. The clothes were old and well worn and obviously Ill-fitted. He was very much of lower standing, which made him wonder why he might be here in the first place.

“Why are you here?" he asked curiously, it came out sharper and curter than he would have liked it to. "I wasn't aware that the Earl had visitors."

Merlin cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable, scrubbing the expensive carpet with the toe of a scuffed boot. “Well, I’m not as such. Gwaine asked me to paint his mothers portrait, as a surprise. I didn’t—well, that is to say—I don’t really have a place to stay. I only arrived two days ago in London.”

Arthur raised a curious eyebrow. “And yet the Earl has already commissioned you for a portrait. You landed on your feet there. How on Earth did you manage such a feat?”

Merlin burst out laughing. “Helped in a bar brawl, if you’d believe it?”

Arthur threw back his head and laughed. “Oh yes. After all, I have met the Earl.”

Merlin grinned and Arthur noted how his eyes crinkled at the corners and his cheeks dimpled. His heart thumped in his chest and he pulled his collar away from his neck with a finger, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe. He recognised his sinful desires pushing to the fore. He noticed the man watching him, looking similarly aroused. The man licked his lusciously full lips.

Suddenly his hands were on Arthur’s face and he gazed at him intensely before placing his lips on Arthur’s and he kissed him cautiously. Arthur brought his hands up to the man’s hair, tangling his fingers in his dark locks as he parted his lips with his tongue and slid his tongue deep inside.

They finally parted, breathless. Arthur cleared his throat. “I – I ought to – I need to get back. You’ll be here later?”

“Yes, of course,” the man said, running a hand through his rumpled hair. “Merlin.” he blurted out. “My name. Merlin. Yours?”

Arthur grinned at him as he opened the door. “Arthur,” he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the night went on and Arthur sulked around in the refreshment room, he started to fret. What on Earth had he been thinking?

As the night went on and Arthur sulked around in the refreshment room, he started to fret. What on Earth had he been thinking? How could he have given into such perverse urges? With such a man too. It was unnatural, he knew this. Merlin did not even have the redeeming factor of being a man of society - which was on occasion, was overlooked - rather than permitted. His father would be horrified that he had even associated himself with such a man, let alone had kissed him. _‘We are_ Pendragons, _Arthur. We do not associate with the working class. Do you wish to ruin this family and have us cast out from society? Your poor sainted Mother! I am glad she is not here to see you sully the family name in such a fashion.’_ He could all too well imagine his fathers displeasure. And if he knew Arthur’s darkest secret, that he often entertained such unnatural desires in the privacy of his own room; well that would be the end of him. In his fathers eyes he would cease to exist.

"So Arthur," came a voice, interrupting his thoughts. "Why the long face? You look like mothers latest prize horse!"

Arthur glanced over at Gwaine and hastily straightened out his face to a haughty put-upon sneer, silently cursing himself for wearing his emotions so plainly. "Hello, Gwaine."

Gwaine grinned at him, in his usual carefree way. “If you’ve had enough of the lemonade, come along with me to the drawing room and have a port and cigar with the other chaps,” he said trying to tempt him.

Arthur looked down at his long since empty glass. Perhaps Port would be just the thing to make him forget the combination of soft, glossy black hair, plump, reddened lips and startlingly blue eyes.

“If I must,” he proclaimed with a sigh.

“Oh you must, Arthur. Come, I can tell you all about Miss Gawant! I met her some weeks ago and I really do think that she might be the one. Mother does keep worrying me so about settling down and taking a wife.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow with surprise. He had honestly thought that Gwaine was going end up a life-long bachelor. In fact, given the fact that he never intended to marry and keep a woman, he had been depending on Gwaine to keep him company as one by one the rest of the men their age dropped out of fashionable society. Perhaps one day, he might have even confessed his penchant for men to him. This Miss Gawant had certainly piqued his interest.

He placed the cup down and smiled at him. “Yes, you must tell me all about the lady who has finally tamed the wild, raucous, fun-loving Earl of Orkney.”

Gwaine bellowed with laughter, patted him on the shoulder and lead him off to the drawing room.

***

After many hours of conversation, good cigars and glasses of Port later, the ball was finally over and the house became quiet, Arthur took his leave. Gwaine had offered him use of a bedroom over in the mostly disused south wing of the house, in order to avoid a carriage ride home in the cold and wet. He stumbled down the corridor and placed his hand against the wall for a moment to steady himself. Perhaps that last glass of wine had been a mistake. A step too far. He could not remember ever having been as inebriated as this before. Staying for the night had definitely been the right choice.

He snickered to himself and felt for the handle of the door next to him and let himself in. A lone candle still burned and the fire was banked behind the grate. Arthur grinned inanely and let his coat fall from his arms and clumsily undid the buttons of his waistcoat and shirt, also abandoning them to the floor. He frowned as he tried to focus on his hands and wondered where he might have left his gloves. His trousers, fell to the floor when he undid them and he stumbled as he pulled off his shoes and socks. The room was cosy and warm, despite the weather outside and so he unbuttoned his drawers and discarded them too.

Now completely nude, he stretched and yawned before crawling under the bedclothes, unbeknownst to him, a dark haired head lay on the pillow next to him, dead to the world and Arthur himself found himself drifting rapidly off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting drunk at Gwaine's party the night before, Arthur stays the night and ends up mistakenly going into Merlin's room and sharing his bed, unbeknownst to them both. The morning after, Merlin and Arthur wake up in each others arms. But can Arthur overcome his fear of his fathers reaction and expectations and allow himself to be truly happy?

Arthur awoke in a sea of warmth and smiled to himself, his head ached a little when he moved it, but that was to be expected. He could always remain sleeping in this bed at Gwaine’s home, unlike in his own house. He pulled the warm body closer towards him and thrusted his morning erection against a rather nice warm, soft arse. He startled out of his sleep-warmed stupor when the body moaned and snuggled into his arms, grinding back against him.

Suddenly the body shot up and he was pushed onto his back. A gorgeous, sleep-tousled, Merlin squinted down at him.

“Arthur?” he asked, his voice rough with sleep.

Arthur propped himself up. “Merlin! Wh-what are you doing here?!”

Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. “I could ask you the same thing, this is my room.”

Raking his eyes over Merlin’s bare chest Arthur bit back a grin. “Merlin, why are you naked?”

Blushing a delightful shade of red that rushed from his face down to his chest Merlin clutched the sheet to his chest as if in an effort to preserve his modesty. “It’s my room!” he exclaimed, his voice raised an octave or two.

“You’re delicious when you blush, you know,” said Arthur.

Merlin huffed and turned his back to Arthur, swinging his legs off the bed. “I didn’t think you were interested. You never came back.” He proceeded to grab his shirt and stood to pull on some trousers.

“ _Mer_ lin, I’m sorry. I wanted to. But… well… I can’t see how this is going to work out for us, can you?” Arthur tried to explain. “My father. He would never allow it. If he… if he ever even suspected that I…”

Merlin turned to him, his expression sombre. “I understand. After all, it’s not even as if I have a penny to my name. But I hope to, one day.”

Arthur pulled Merlin back onto the bed they had unwittingly shared. He held Merlin’s face and looked at him, rubbing a thumb against the corner of his plush lips. He wanted Merlin so badly, he ached for him. But how could he? It was one thing to think such thoughts of loving another man. To have vivid dreams of what he would dearly like to do, but quite another to actually enact them.

Merlin darted forward and pressed his lips to Arthur’s. “Stop thinking, Arthur. Let it happen.”

Arthur paused, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Merlin’s. He could either do this and at least have the memories to feast on for the rest of his life, or he could leave and wonder if he had let happiness slip through his fingers forever. His hands trembled as he cradled Merlin’s face and kissed his nose and his cheeks before kissing his lips gently, prising his lips apart with his tongue. Merlin opened up to him willingly and Arthur felt as though their whole beings were merging into one.

Merlin pressed him into the covers and covered Arthur’s body with his, undulating fluidly above him as their kisses grew deeper and more desperate. Arthur clutched at the back of Merlin’s head and at his hip as Merlin kissed his way down Arthur's neck and chest, all the way to his navel, mapping him. Merlin sat up, straddling him and smiled down at Arthur.

“You are even more handsome and dashing than I dared imagine, Arthur,” he breathed, smoothing his thumbs over Arthur’s hip bones. He smoothed his hands up along the planes of his abdomen and back down to his groin and Arthur gasped and bucked up wildly. Merlin laughed delightedly and bent down to kiss his neck and spoke with a deep voice into his ear, “And so wanton and wicked. A harlot, just for me.” 

Arthur scrabbled to push up Merlin’s shirt and grasped his bared flesh, pulling him down to thrust against him, skin-to-skin. Merlin lunged against him and moaned as their arousals rubbed against each other. “Off,” Arthur said, tugging Merlin’s shirt up and taking advantage of his momentary helplessness to bite at a nipple, leaving Merlin squirming and struggling to get the shirt over his head.

The shirt off, Merlin took Arthur and his erections' in one hand and Arthur fell back to the bed. “Oh my.. _Merlin_!”

Merlin let go of their lengths in order to press himself against Arthur and kiss him with lips, teeth and tongue. He snaked his hand down between Arthur’s legs. Arthur swallowed and shuddered as Merlin’s clever fingers traced around his rim.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

Arthur nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know… I’ve never-”

Merlin quietened him with a kiss. “It’s okay. Me either. Turn over.” Arthur rolled himself over onto his front. “Let me take care of you,” Merlin whispered, pressing a kiss to each bump of his spine, pulling him onto his knees.

He parted Arthur’s cheeks with hands that weren’t entirely steady and cautiously gave his hole a quick lick. Arthur bucked in surprise, a sudden flare of heat shooting down his spine, straight to his cock. Merlin continued, lathing his rim with his tongue, he spat and worked his tongue inside him along with a long, slender finger, as Arthur moaned and shook, not sure his legs would hold him up. Merlin worked in another finger and spat several more times on Arthur's hole. He pulled both fingers out and Arthur whimpered at the loss. He heard Merlin spitting again and then felt a large blunt pressure at his hole. Arthur hung his head between his arms and pressed his forehead to the sheets. It hurt, he felt as though he was being slowly split in two as Merlin slowly pressed forward.

Finally he was all the way in and thrust back and forth experimentally, before hitting a spot that made Arthur forget the pain and thrash his head. “More,” he gasped. Merlin complied. They didn’t last long before Arthur came over the sheets in pearly strings, pulling Merlin into orgasm with him.

Merlin collapsed on top of him and kissed the back of his ear and they drifted off to sleep together.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur awoke a few hours later, Merlin curled up around him, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. What on Earth had he done? He had given in to his desires and carnal lust, a part of him felt disgusted with himself for being so weak. But was it really so terrible to like another man? To sleep with one? He couldn’t help but think perhaps it was not. After all, were we all not all made in God’s image? If so, perhaps God had these urges too? He thought back to all the bible verses he had learned, read and been taught about over the years and couldn’t remember there ever being anything explicitly mentioned about Uranian relationships. They we alluded too, but mostly they were heavily preached against from the pulpit, as well as abstinence and how the sin of masturbation would cause you to become ill (if that were the case, Arthur would have been long dead before he had even come of age).

Despite these thoughts, Arthur knew that it would be a mistake to get caught, so he gently slid out from Merlin’s arms and started to dress. He was missing gloves and his neck-tie. But no matter, those could be replaced. He would go and ask John, the Orkney’s stablehand, for the loan of a horse and avoid having to take breakfast with Gwaine and his mother and he would send George later with a note of apology. The important thing was to leave, as soon as possible. The longer he was awake, the more desperate he was to leave, as he recalled all the cases he’d read of men being imprisoned for sodomy in recent years.

Finally dressed and reasonably presentable, Arthur set off to the stables, leaving Merlin behind with a heavy heart. He daren’t have woken him, lest Merlin managed to change his mind, nor did he dare leave a note in case Merlin did not destroy it.

***

Merlin woke late in the morning, his hand caressed the dip in the bed beside him and he stretched. He noticed with a start that the space next to him was empty. He sat up, bleary-eyed and looked around the darkened room, yes Arthur was really gone.

He should have known, he supposed. A rich, handsome, gorgeous man like Arthur was probably only after one thing. After all, he hadn’t promised anything. In fact, he had said that they couldn’t work. But Merlin had still hoped… there had just been something about Arthur and his standoffish, stiff-laced demeanour which had appealed to Merlin. Knowing that Arthur had taken that barrier down and let him in, let him kiss, caress and tup him.

With a sigh Merlin guessed he would have to be satisfied with having had this one unexpected night with him and prepare himself for the inevitable snubbing from Arthur if they should meet again. Resigned to the fact, Merlin dressed and took himself off to the kitchen to see if he could wheedle a late breakfast out of Mary the cook.

***

Arthur rinsed his face in the sink in his room and dried it with the towel around his neck as the door opened and a set of clicking heels came waltzing into the room. Arthur rolled his eyes. He had not had enough rest this morning to be dealing with Morgana.

“What is it, Morgana?” he asked. “Nice of you to knock.”

“Now, now. Is that anyway to greet your dearly beloved sister?” She called.

He turned around and saw her settling down into a plush leather armchair by the fireplace. He schooled his face and suppressed a sigh. Over the years he had learned not to give Morgana any more ammunition than she already came to the table with.

He snorted in response to her and strode to his wardrobe, selecting a shirt.

“Not that one,” said Morgana. “Wear the red one, it suits you better.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and proceeded to pull on the shirt that he planned, smoothing it around the back of his neck before buttoning it. He crossed to his bureau to put on a pair of cufflinks, waiting for Morgana to make her move.

“A good one last night?” she asked a little too innocently.

“It was a perfectly adequate night, yes.” he replied smoothly, tucking in his shirt and then fastening on his collar. He pulled on a comfortable jacket and then took the chair opposite Morgana as George came bustling in with tea on a tray.

“Tea, Sir, Ma’am.”

He poured the tea and passed a cup first to Morgana and then to Arthur, who then dismissed him with a wave of his hand. George slipped away seamlessly.

“Cut to it, Morgana.” said Arthur once they had finished their tea.

Morgana smiled predatorily at him. “I’m just wondering what kept you from coming home last night. I was worried about you. A sister _is_ allowed to worry about her brother isn’t she?”

Arthur laughed. “Most sisters, yes. But I hardly doubt you were worried. If you were, perhaps you should participate in society as Father has requested.”

Morgana’s face became fierce. “Over my dead body. I will not be a pawn for Uther’s games. Even if you gladly allow yourself to be.”

Arthur smiled to himself, congratulating himself of distracting his sister.

“Anyway,” Morgana flipped her hair. “Why were you gone all night?”

Crossing his legs casually, Arthur gave her a smile. “The Earl is to be engaged to Elena Gawant. I felt it only appropriate to celebrate. By the time he was done it was late and given the awful weather, as a good host, he impressed upon me to stay. As simple as that Morgana, despite what you might think.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “If that were true, you would have been home before the noon meal and with a carriage, not tearing in on one of Gwaine’s prize stallions.”

Rising from his seat, Arthur went to take a seat at his writing desk near the window and appeared to busy himself with a quill and ink. “The Earl can afford the loan of a horse, Morgana. I’ll send Tyr back with him later.”

“That’s not what I’m on about. Just tell me what happened, Arthur,” she insisted.

“Morgana. I just needed to get home.”

Morgana finally played her trump card. “I won’t tell Father about that boy you kissed.”

Arthur’s head shot up as he looked at her with shock.

“Oh Arthur, I know you. And you should know by now, I have spies everywhere...” and with that she swanned out of his rooms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur is invited over for afternoon tea where he meets Gwaine’s intended for the first time and Gwaine hints that he knows _exactly_ what’s going on between Arthur and Merlin. (Also, Morgana is cunning without even appearing in this part of the story).

Arthur sighed as he dressed himself in one of his finest shirts. He’d decided on a high collared shirt, paired with a dark silk tie and his burgundy waistcoat. He had already selected a pair of grey pinstripe trousers along with a suspenders which he already wore as he fastened his cuffs with links and pinned his collar before tying the tie. It was at times like this, when formalities needed to be preserved, that he regretted letting George go. With George’s assistance, he would have been ready in half the time. 

He pulled his suspenders up over broad shoulders and slipped on the waistcoat, then he buttoned it and attached his pocket watch. He wondered why Gwaine had sent him a formal invitation to tea, rather than a hastily scrawled message with a servant asking him _‘Do come and play billiards, good chap. Lest I die of boredom now that I am to be a married man’_. Perhaps it’s because he had been blowing off these requests, as he was doing everything that he could to avoid encountering Merlin again. Besides, he knew that they weren’t a real summons. Arthur was determined to stay away from temptation, determined not to give in to his carnal lust again. He could not risk it. He no longer trusted himself around Merlin.

He had left when Merlin was sleeping, the morning after Merlin had buggered him. He had not awoken him, fearing that Merlin would have persuaded him to stay. The best course of action, Arthur had decided was to avoid Gwaine’s house at all costs until he was sure that Merlin was gone. Then it would be safe to return with no one to tempt him anymore. 

But this time the Earl had sent a formal invitation that his father would not allow him to decline. Gwaine was a wiley one. He sincerely hoped that Merlin had finished Gwaine’s mothers portrait and moved on. But it did not seem likely as it had been less than a month since his last visit. Still, he endeavoured that he would do all that he could to avoid encountering Merlin and get this tea over and done with as swiftly as possible.

Arthur sat to pull on woollen socks and smartly shined black boots, which he laced as his thoughts filled with Merlin. Then he stood, pulled on his jacket and top hat, ensuring his had his good gloves. A quick glance in the mirror assured him he was ready to leave.

 

*

After dismounting from his horse and passing her over to the stable hand, Arthur walked up the grand driveway of the Orkney estate to knock at the front door. He had been invited over formally for tea after all, rather than an informal request to come over for an afternoon game of billiards, wherein he usually used a side door to gain entry.

The door was opened by a servant who swiftly whisked Arthur into the house and took him through to the solarium. Arthur started to take in the room, but his eyes stopped suddenly when he spied a happy, pretty young girl with curly blonde hair sitting next to Gwaine, a table in front of them set for tea. Ah, that must be Elena, thought Arthur.

Gwaine stood and rushed over to him, eyes shining with a wide grin, to shake his hand heartily. “Ah, so you _are_ still alive then, Arthur,” he said, a sly glint in his eye. “Come, let me introduce you!”

He led Arthur over to Elena who had stood to meet them.

“Elena, may I present my good friend, Mister Arthur Pendragon. Arthur, meet my beloved, Miss Elena Gawant,” Gwaine smiled as he took Elena’s hand in his. He looked up at her as he bent his head and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. Elena blushed prettily at the gesture.

Arthur smiled at them, though his heart lurched at the thought that he would never be able to do that with his chosen. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Gawant. The Earl has told me all about you.”

Elena beamed at him. “Only good things, I hope!” she exclaimed as they all sat.

Gwaine grinned at her. “As if there is anything bad to say about you, darling!”

Arthur left them to their sickening love-gazing and looked down at his plate. It was then that he felt a gaze upon him. He looked up towards the back of the solarium where he spotted an easel with a young man sat behind it. Merlin was watching him carefully with his dark hair falling across his forehead, his hands and cheeks streaked with dark paint. Their eyes instantly met and Arthur faltered for a moment before returning his attention to the tea that the servants were bringing out to the table.

“Arthur?” said Gwaine, who frowned and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, that’s Merlin. He’s painting Mother’s portrait for her birthday. He likes to paint in here because of the good lighting. I’ll call him over and introduce him, shall I?”

Arthur suddenly felt panic-stricken. He couldn’t have Merlin over here with Gwaine, it was too much. He might have been able to handle longing glances across the room, but having him so close and knowing they could never be, felt like more than he could bear. “Oh, no it’s...”

“HEY MERLIN!” called Gwaine. “Come over here, please!”

Merlin looked like a startled animal as he jumped and dropped his palette and brush with a clatter. He wiped his hand on an old paint-splattered rag before he reluctantly walked over.

“Merlin,” said Gwaine, leaning back in his chair. “Let me introduce you to our guest. Merlin this is Arthur Pendragon, Arthur this is Merlin Emrys.”

"Mister Emrys," greeted Arthur as they both nodded at each other and shook hands. Arthur shivered as his mind flashed back to how perfectly those fingers had opened him just a few weeks previous.

“Now Arthur, I particularly wanted to introduce you to Merlin because Morgana has been hinting to me about how she would also like to get her portrait painted. In fact, she said to me that it would be the perfect gift for her birthday, and I just thought, what a lovely a coincidence!” He winked at Arthur. “Especially as Merlin is due to finish Mother’s portrait next week, which would leave him free to work on Morgana’s portrait soon after and have plenty of time to finish by her birthday. Perfect, wouldn’t you say?”

Merlin looked back and forth between Gwaine and Arthur with surprise.

Arthur grit his teeth. He was going to _kill_ Morgana when he got home. He calmed himself and cleared his throat. “Yes. Perfect timing as you say,” he replied smoothly. “However...”

Elena interjected. “Oh Arthur. You must! Merlin’s paintings are simply _devine_. Morgana be _thrilled_ , I just know it!” she clapped her hands together excitedly. “I would just have you know that we will have Merlin back afterwards to paint our portrait. Won’t we, my love?”

Gwaine smiled down at her. “We will indeed.” He looked over at Arthur with an evil, knowing glint in his eye and Arthur was hit with a sudden realisation. Gwaine, the crafty bugger, somehow knew about he and Merlin. Arthur would bet his fortune on. “What do you say, Arthur, will you take Merlin?”

Arthur just wanted to bury his face in his hand. Gwaine would pay for this little manipulation, if it was the last thing that he did.

Merlin turned on Gwaine and shook his finger at him angrily. “Gwaine! You can’t just go around forcing people to get portraits painted. I’m sure Mister Pendragon is not interested in...”

“Yes,” Arthur heard himself say abruptly. “Yes, I’ll take him.” 

Merlin stood between them both looking indignant. “You can’t both barter over me like that! Surely I have a say!”

Gwaine grinned at him. “’Course you do, Merlin. What say you, will you paint the beautiful Morgana to save Arthur’s neck, or won’t you? He can’t give her _another_ writing set, she’ll have his guts for garters!”

Merlin appeared to be thinking, then he turned and nodded at Gwaine. “Fine, I’ll do it,” he said before he stalked back towards the easel his head held high.

Arthur, Gwaine and Elena continued their afternoon tea, Elena completely oblivious to Arthur’s discomfort whilst Gwaine watched Arthur with a look of pure glee. Arthur finally dared to take a quick glance at Merlin working across the room, only to find Merlin suddenly looking away and instead appearing to intently focused on his painting. When Arthur returned his attention to their conversation he saw Gwaine looking at him with a knowing smirk. The smug bastard.

Finally, the tea was declared finished and Elena excused herself from the table.

Gwaine leant across and whispered to Arthur with a grin. “Well, well, well Arthur. You know, I had my suspicions about you. I mean you’ve never been one to chase the girls, which seemed strange for a handsome chap. But when I went to fetch you for breakfast the other week and I realised your bed was not slept in... With you thundering off on Damocles like a demon was chasing you, and Merlin spent the best part of a week moping, things started to click into place.”

Gwaine sat back in his chair then and twisted around to look over at Merlin. “Merlin, I think Arthur should stay for dinner, don’t you? Then you can hash out the finer details of the arrangement.”

“Gwaine!” whispered Arthur warningly.

Merlin frowned at Gwaine. “Well, I think that it’s probably...”

“Grand! That’s settled then. Arthur, you can use your room to freshen up, shall we all meet back at the dinner hour?” 

With that Gwaine stood up and left the room, leaving Merlin and Arthur staring flabbergasted at each other.


End file.
